Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power consumption mode guiding device and system for guiding the mode of use of a power consumption device by a power consumer to a prescribed mode.
Decription of Related Art
When there is a demand for a power consumer to reduce power consumption, there are cases where the reduction in power consumption in response to the demand (a so-called “demand response”) is actually performed on the power consumer side. Examples of the demand response include cases where, when the power supply reserve capacity of a power company or the like, which is the power supply side, has decreased due to an increase in power consumption by a power consumer, and the power company or the like demands the power consumer to reduce their power consumption, the power consumer voluntarily reduces their power consumption in response to the power reduction demand, or the power company or the like reduces power consumption by remote control of the power consumption device of the power consumer. In this way, if the power consumer changes their mode of use of a power consumption device to a prescribed mode in response to a demand from the power supply side, it can be said that a demand response has been performed.
Also, a power supply system that has been proposed in the past is constituted by a local system that has an AC line to which multiple power consumers are connected, a power storage device, and a local inverter device that connects the power storage device and the AC line. For example, in the power supply system described in Patent Document 1, linking inverter devices for linking the power storage device of one local system to the AC line of another local system are provided between local systems such that multiple local systems are electrically connected in series. Furthermore, the local inverter devices of the respective local systems perform control such that the voltage of the power on the AC line is at a target voltage, and such that the frequency of the power on the AC line is at a target frequency determined according to the state of charge of the power storage device. In other words, the frequency of the power on the AC line in each local system is a value that reflects the state of charge of the power storage device.
Note that with a power supply system such as that described in Patent Document 1, power is supplied from the power storage device to the AC line, that is to say to the power consumption device of a power consumer, and therefore although a “power company” does not exist, the power storage device can be considered to correspond to the aforementioned “power supply side”.